engineer

I was talking to my brother-in-law about salaries the other day. He mentioned he knew some police officers in the area that had base salaries in the $70-80K range. With the regular overtime they got policing public events like carnivals and sporting events (rough gig!), their salaries went into the six-figure range. Aside from the shock I had at my decision not to be a police officer, I caught myself wondering: How much do I think that job is really worth? Part of me thinks that the police should be paid well. They are protecting people and that’s an important thing. It’s an odd situation too, because we are in a relatively safe area. Should cops in the safer areas get paid well because they continue to keep us safe? Or should they be paid less because the area is already safe? (And for those wondering: yes, this is a suburb and […]

I’ve written before about business travel, but this time I’m traveling as a design engineer; last time it was general thoughts on travel after a short stint at a conference as a technical writer. So I decided to consider what engineers need to know in order to work successfully on an overnight trip to a foreign locale. Design engineers aren’t made to travel. We have quirky needs, lots to do back at the lab and massive amounts of baggage (take that one how you want to). However, sometimes the need arises to get off your butt and go see a customer. Other times it’s a supplier. And sometimes you need to go simply because the boss tells you to. Early this week, I’ll traveling for my day job and I thought I’d blurp out my thoughts (that’s right, blurp) before going. While not all of this will be strictly for […]

The world is getting greener, and we are adding more and more regulations regarding RoHS, energy consumption, and impact on the planet. At a seminar last week, the question on measuring our carbon footprint was raised, and this week I question how achievable it really is. How do we know if we are making a large or small impact and is it we engineers who will feel the brunt of this new game? Last week, I attended a seminar run by ebm-papst UK entitled ‘Greening the Data Centre’. This is one of the many events run during the year where we help customers and OEMs understand the impact of energy saving measures. For me all this going green basically comes down to saving money, and I don’t think many companies are really interested in the effect on the planet. However, when Dr. Michael Gell of Xanfan stood up and gave […]

This week I want to look at a blog that was written by someone else. Reason being that I think they have done a better job and are better positioned to talk about my topic area this week. That of Colonel John D. Sims. Despite being in the US Army and having little to do with engineering Colonel Sims is someone that has experienced a challenging career. I’m not talking about being on the front line or being a great solider. No, I’m talking about how in difficult situation he has learned to become himself and though understanding his role as a commander has better served not only his country and the army but more importantly the soldier under him and his family. While I’m not saying that our jobs as engineers are anything like being part of the armed forces, I think what Colonel Sims has to say strikes […]

One benefit to being part of a large(ish) corporation is purchasing power (not super large, but big enough to turn a head or two). You get lower part costs, you get more guarantees of delivery and you get better support. And sometimes as part of support, you get to talk to some very smart people (hardly exclusive to when you’re an important customer). Well, let me back up a little bit. Sometimes you get to talk. And sometimes you only get to listen. My issue comes up when vendors come in and say they want to talk. That they want to have a ‘conversation with their valued customer’…and then proceed to plow through slides that you have no interest in. This happens all the time and I dutifully sit through them, especially if they’ve bought me lunch (I can be bought with food, doubly so for good food). My problem […]

I’m in Las Vegas for the 3rd time in my life. This time and the time before, going to Vegas wasn’t necessarily my first vacation choice; but I tend to roll with the punches, and I feel I could enjoy myself just about anywhere. This time I’m here for a good friend’s wedding. And as I got on the plane, I realized that I’ve never seen any kind of engineering info with regards to “Sin City” before. So how about I describe Las Vegas from the point of view of an engineer? The odds People think Las Vegas and they think gambling. And rightly so. Where else can you find an industry based almost entirely on a mathematical model that guarantees that the customer will (happily?) hand over their cash? What drives me as an engineer is the math behind each game. If I’m going to give up my money, […]

Yup, this week on Engineer Blogs, we’re talking about cross-functional engineering teams and working with engineers that aren’t like our own field. And in the true nature of someone that writes articles at the end of the week, I’d like to discuss the things that all our other wonderful writers haven’t mentioned yet (like my post reversing how the world looks at engineers). I mean, I need to keep the topics fresh and snappy, ya know? Anyway, this week, I’d like to talk about those engineers in a group that a bit “off”. That sub-group of the engineering fraternity that no one seems to understand. The group that had a really strong period, but now have started to fade into the background. The group? Surely, it must be civil engineers, right? Or what about chemical engineers, who needs those guys anymore? What about those crazy mechanical engineers, machine shop is so […]